


My Wish, For You

by vanillaxo



Series: chronicles of Penny Parker [3]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Dancing, Disney Songs, Female Peter Parker, Gen, Irondad, Penny Parker - Freeform, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, idk what else to tag, just read it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2020-05-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:00:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24190222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vanillaxo/pseuds/vanillaxo
Summary: Five times Penny and Tony dance when nobody’s around, and the one time they do.
Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: chronicles of Penny Parker [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1736641
Comments: 8
Kudos: 130





	My Wish, For You

**Author's Note:**

> 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨  
> 𝘐 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶  
> 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘯  
> 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸  
> 𝘞𝘦'𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳  
> '𝘊𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵  
> 𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵  
> 𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘯  
> 𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦

After Tony had snapped, and nearly died doing it thus leaving him in a coma for a month, it was easy to say that Penny had visited him at the lake house nearly everyday.

It was weird at first, because Penny had no idea what to make of the world around her. Her life had completely flipped upside down in what seemed like only a few hours to her, when in reality, it was five years.

Five years was a long, _long_ time.

Overwhelmed with everything she had to catch up on and adjust to, Penny rarely spoke. Penny once overheard May and Pepper whispering about it outside Tony’s door while she remained at his side, sharing their worry over her and wondering if they should have her looked it.

Penny couldn’t hold back the scoff when she heard them. It might’ve been insensitive, especially with everything going on, but Penny couldn’t help it. It wasn’t like she had gone completely mute. She just didn’t speak up as much as she used to- how could she when it felt like she was receiving new information a mile a minute? She was just trying to take all of it in. Digest it. _Work_ with it.

She also didn’t really know what to say.

What was there to talk about those days? Everybody walked around eggshells with her, and the things they talked about made Penny feel like an outsider.

It was easier to stay quiet- that way, she could try to get to know the new world around her, and that way she could avoid the hard questions.

She didn’t want anyone to know how lost she felt. How wrong she felt, as if she came back _wrong_.

She also didn’t want anyone to know how utterly _pissed off_ she was at Tony.

None of them suspected it, of course, because Penny was practically tied to the comatose man’s side. She was there nearly everyday, and she stayed over on weekends.

Every time anyone came in the room, Penny would be holding Tony’s _only_ hand, she’d recall bitterly in her thoughts, but on the outside, she seemed as alright as anybody could be when visiting a comatose man.

But deep down, Penny was angry. Upset. Even deeper, she was afraid.

But she didn’t acknowledge that part.

She was angry. Angry was better than feeling afraid. Angry meant she could have something to hold on to, something she could control.

That’s why, when Tony awoke on the one day Penny wasn’t there, Penny didn’t rush to see him.

In fact, she didn’t go to visit him _at all_.

She didn’t let herself think beyond the anger. She didn’t think about how hurt Tony probably was that she was avoiding him. She didn’t think about how worried it made everybody who loved her. She didn’t think about how it was even hurting her.

All she could think about was how Tony had snapped his fingers on his own, knowing damn well that it was a one way trip, ready to sacrifice his life. If it wasn’t for Doctor Strange’s inclination for the mystic arts mixed with his talent in the medical field, Tony would be dead.

That didn’t sit well with Penny. At all.

So, even if her brain nagged her immaturity and childish actions, Penny held onto that anger, refusing to see Tony. It was somehow easier that way.

That is, until a little more than a month passed and he showed up at her door.

When Penny heard a knock on her door, she wasn’t too thrown off guard by it.

Ever since everybody returned from the snap, the entire world had been out of sorts. May and Penny were actually some of the lucky ones, Penny came to notice, once they came back to their apartment and saw how utterly devastated the community had been impacted. At least they had each other and all their belongings (thanks to the Starks).

That’s why May started up that charity to help people who were displaced by the snap, and eventually that charity was known throughout Queens. Because of this, their apartment tenants would occasionally drop by the Parkers, either to ask for help or to offer their thanks.

Before heading to open the door, Penny slightly lowered the volume of her speakers, the Disney music lowered enough that she could speak to the neighbors.

“Hi, May isn’t here right now, but-“ Penny started to say as she swung the door open, but immediately shut her mouth in shock as she saw who was standing over her.

Tony had a small smile on his face, though it looked tired. Penny couldn’t get over the shock, her eyes switching back and forth from Tony’s scarred face and the empty space where his arm should be.

The last time that Penny had seen Tony was when he was still in a coma, in bed, and definitely not awake or well enough to be standing up, much less at her front door.

“You...” Penny trailed off, unsure of what to say to the man that she had been avoiding for more than a month now.

“You gonna let me in or am I just gonna have to stand out here all day?” Tony quipped, though his face was pinched as if he were in pain.

“Um, yeah, come in,” Penny startled, all anger that she had been feeling towards him now replaced with concern and nervousness. Why was he here in the first place?

Tony sauntered into the room, with the same confidence that Penny remembered him having, though a bit slower and his feet dragged a bit more than she was used to.

He practically threw himself onto her couch, letting out a small groan as he situated himself. “Old age. Makes your bones all creaky and tense so too much movement isn’t the easiest. I don’t know how I manage to hold Morgan all the time. Ah, Beauty and the Beast, good choice.”

Penny heard the soft melody of "Tale as Old as Time" playing on her speaker as she sat down across from Tony, unable to keep her wide eyes away from him. She couldn’t believe he was here.

“Did I tell you about the time that I- kid? You good? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost,” Tony wondered, glancing behind him before looking at Penny.

 _I may as well have_ , Penny thought to herself, but she merely nodded her head at her ex-mentor.

Tony gazed at Penny silently a few more seconds, and Penny could practically see the gears turning in his head. Tony lifted his hand up to wipe his face tiredly. “You’re probably wondering what I’m doing here. Honestly, I probably shouldn’t even be here, I was just cleared to walk three days ago and even then I was permitted to go on short walks only, but we all know I’m not one to follow rules.”

Tony paused, as if waiting to get Penny’s reaction, but the girl remain frozen, her haunted eyes fixated on Tony, making Tony frown slightly before continuing. “I would’ve came sooner, but Pep was on my heel and if she wasn’t there then I had Rhodey and even FRIDAY ready to snitch on me. But I think Pepper took pity on me and let me go here, with Happy of course waiting at your downstairs lobby.”

Penny bit the inside of her mouth, the anger that she thought had dissipated returned, and she had to revert her eyes to the side of the room to prevent herself from showing it. The last thing she wanted was to blow up on Tony; this was the reason why she was avoiding him in the first place.

Tony’s worry only seemed to grow further when Penny looked away from him, her stance growing more and more guarded as he spoke.

“I came to see you, Pen,” Tony said, his voice much softer than Penny was used to. “As soon as I could. I’ve missed you talking up a storm all the time.”

Penny still looked away, the soft ballad of "I Can Go The Distance" now playing on her speakers.

“You shouldn’t have come here,” Penny finally responded, though she still didn’t look at him. She was afraid she’d blow up. “You’re still recovering.”

Tony’s eyebrows furrowed before he let out a frustrated huff. “What choice did I have, huh? You haven’t come to see me since I’ve woken up and you’ve been quite obviously, might I add, ignoring me. Penny, what did I do to make you upset? Please, tell me so I can fix this.”

Penny nearly turned to look at him at his use of ‘please,’ startled by the desperation in his tone. The Tony she knew rarely had a desperate tone in his voice, much less begged anyone to do anything.

“You can’t, Tony, you can’t fix it,” Penny struggled to keep her voice from rising. She was so angry, so upset, so _overwhelmed_ , that she felt as if she was a volcano waiting to erupt.

“Why can’t I fix it? I fixed the whole damn universe, so I should be able to fix whatever happened between us, kid.”

“That’s exactly the point!” Penny’s voice came out shrill, her burning eyes jumping to Tony’s before she could help it. “You fixed the whole universe, Tony. You saved us all. Oh, thank you, oh great one.”

Tony’s eyes narrowed at her sarcastic tone. “Sorry that I offended you, princess, when I saved your life and half of all living beings from death. Next time, I’ll try to be more considerate when saving the universe,” Tony’s voice wasn’t necessarily angry, but it was sarcastic and warning.

Penny scoffed bitterly. “Yeah, next time.”

Tony looked at her like he’s never seen her before. “Penny, what is going on with you? Is it me? Huh? You hate me?”

“I don’t hate you,” Penny spat, knowing in her heart of hearts that no matter how mad she was at him, she couldn’t hate him, though her tone suggested otherwise.

“Then what is it? Because I’ve been trying to figure you out this whole month and a half and I’ve gotten nowhere because you wouldn’t even _talk to me_ ,” Tony pleaded, that desperate tone in his voice once again. “And now, you’re just yelling at me. Penny, I need you to talk to me.”

Penny eyed him, her nostrils flaring angrily. “Well, I don’t need to talk to you. Go back home to your family, Tony. I’ll get Happy for you.”

She got up suddenly, striding towards the door, before Tony’s voice pierced through the air, finally losing his calm tone. “Penelope Parker, get back over here _now._ ”

Penny flew back around, her eyes crazed. “You are _not_ my dad,” her voice dripped with venom. “Stop pretending to be.”

“Alright, I’m not your dad,” Tony’s voice resorted back to calm, though his eyes were provoking as he stood and looked back at Penny. “But you are my kid. Love it or hate it, you are my kid. You can curse the world, kicking and screaming, but you will _always_ be my kid. Why else do you think I invented time travel? Screw saving the universe, all I cared about was saving _you_. That’s why I’m not going to let you shut me out after everything I went through to get you back.”

Penny’s felt her face scrunch up as she let out a loud groan, “No, Tony! No! That’s exactly it! Is that supposed to make me feel better? Because it doesn’t! I didn’t ask you to bring me back from the soul stone!”

Tony looked at his kid, taking in how he’s never seen her this angry or this crazed. It worried him to no end.

“Of course you didn’t, Penny, you were dead! You were dead and I needed you here with me, so I did everything I could to get you back. I’ll never apologize for that, and I’d do it a thousands times over again to get this same outcome, even if you’re either ignoring me or yelling at me.”

“You almost died!” Penny yelled suddenly, and there was pregnant pause in the room, with Tony’s wide eyes fixated on her, and Penny blinking back tears in her eyes, her chest heaving.

“Yeah, but _you_ actually died,” Tony’s voice was quieter and slower, as if testing the waters. “So I had to do what I did. You get that, don’t you?”

“No, I don’t. You almost died. You... you have everything. You have a wife and a daughter, Tony, and you almost died. And for what? Some kid you picked up from the street and took under your wing? No, Tony! That is not okay! You have a family!” Penny’s voice was raised, hot tears streaming down her cheeks, but she couldn’t care less. She wasn’t even thinking about what she was saying, it was as if everything that she’s been holding in was bubbling out of her like hot lava.

“And you’re my family, too,” Tony said calmly, now slowly approaching Penny. “I did what I had to do, Pen. There was a chance of getting you back so I had to take it. Whatever it took.”

Penny shook her head viciously. “You almost died,” She repeated for the fourth time, her voice cracking. She felt like a broken record saying it, but she couldn’t stop. “I heard your heart stop. You were gone until Doctor Strange brought you back. You almost didn’t come back.”

“But I’m still here,” Tony whispered, tears shining his own eyes, and he wished he had both his arms to wrap his daughter up in his embrace, but for now he had to settle on wrapping his one arm around her. “I wasn’t planning on dying, I promise. There was nothing I wanted more than to live to finally see my family whole with you there, but I wasn’t going to be naive. I knew the chances of me surviving were slim but that’s the hero’s gig, Pen. You out of all people know that. I had to do it.”

Penny shook her head against Tony’s chest, having weakened once he pulled her into a hug, her defenses down as she wrapped both her arms around his middle. She heard the beginnings of "You’ll Be In My Heart" play from her speaker. “I can’t lose you,” she mumbled, and she felt Tony kiss the side of her head.

_Come stop your crying_

_It will be alright_

_Just take my hand_

_And hold it tight_

_I will protect you_

_From all around you_

_I will be here_

_Don't you cry_

“You haven’t lost me. I’m here, and I plan to be here for a long time. I’ve retired, Pen. I’ve been for some time, actually, Iron Man only came back to get you back. You’re here now, so I’ve hung up the jersey. I’m done.”

Penny let out a breath, her eyes shut against Tony’s chest, his heartbeat soothing her anxiety.

Tony had begun swaying them softly, his soft hums to the song filling her ears.

“I’m still mad at you,” Penny said suddenly, and she heard Tony let out a little chuckle.

“I know. And that’s okay. I rather have you mad at me than ignoring me. Just know that I’m here, underoos. And I’m not planning on going anywhere if I can help it.”

After a few more seconds of swaying and humming, Tony pulled away slightly only to gently grab Penny’s hand to rest on top of his shoulder- the one with an absent arm- before holding her free hand in his.

Penny looked at him confusedly. “What? Phil Collins has a magical voice. Besides, I haven’t danced in years. Humor me.”

Penny gave him one last look before she let out a small laugh and let Tony guide her as they moved throughout her living room. 

_'Cause you'll be in my heart_

_Yes, you'll be in my heart_

_From this day on_

_Now and forever more_

_You'll be in my heart_

_No matter what they say_

_You'll be here in my heart_

_Always_

They spun around the room, their laughter filling the air, as they clumsily danced along to the ballad. Tony would spin Penny around every now and then, and they would erupt in laughter when she’d come back from the spin dizzy and unbalanced since Tony didn’t have an extra arm to stabilize her.

Tony let out a loud _oof!_ when he miscalculated and stubbed his foot against the couch, leading Penny to fall into a fit of giggles before she pat his shoulder sympathetically.

Soon enough, the angry, sad tears that shone in Penny’s eyes turned into an afterthought as the anger melted away and all she could feel was utter relief being with Tony. Since Penny came back from the snap, she hadn’t felt safe. All she felt was fear and confusion, like she danger was always creeping over her shoulder. But dancing in her cramped living room with the man who was her hero and most like a father to her made her feel safe for the first time in so long. She almost forgot how it felt.

But she still felt that fear inside her, deep down. She hated how it couldn’t completely go away, but she had a feeling that this fear would stick with her for the rest of her life, because nothing is guaranteed. That much Penny was sure of. Even if Tony wasn’t Iron Man anymore didn’t mean he was immune to death. It was a tough pill to swallow, which is what led Penny to release her hands from Tony’s hand and shoulder, and instead wrap her arms around his neck in a hug.

_When destiny calls you, you must be strong_

_I may not be with you_

_But you got to hold on_

_They'll see in time, I know_

_We'll show them together_

_'Cause you'll be in my heart_

_Believe me you'll be in my heart_

_I'll be there from this day on_

_Now and forever more_

Tony instantly followed along, wrapping his arm around the middle of her back to hold her closely, tilting his head to rest against the back of hers, going back to swaying them gently. It was like Tony knew what Penny was thinking. He knew that the fear wasn’t gone. He knew she’d always be afraid of losing him, because with his luck and old age, she would lose him someday hopefully in the far future. That was life. But he knew that when that time came, Penny would be strong. She’d be sad, yes, but she’d pick herself up and live her life, showcasing to the world the strength that awed Tony everyday.

He wished he could promise her that he’d be here forever.

But he couldn’t.

At least for now, he was here with her in the moment, and that’s all that really mattered. There was no use in stressing about the future when they had each other right here and now. So he pressed a kiss to the side of Penny’s head and squeezed her tighter, hoping that the message would come across.

Penny’s arms tightened slightly, and Tony let out a small smile.

_I'll be there for you always_

_Always and always_

Grabbing her hand once more, Tony gently spun her one last time as he felt the end of the song approach, though he stepped back and didn’t reach out to recapture her hand.

_Just look over your shoulder_

Penny felt Tony let go of her hand as she spun, and once she was able to balance her steps once more, she looked over her side to look at her father figure.

_I'll be there_

Tony stood there with a smile on his face, the kind of smile that wrinkled at the ends of his eyes, and Penny smiled back at him, feeling lighter and safer than she had felt in ages.

_Always_

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I’m back to write another Penny Parker fic because I just love writing her. 
> 
> This will be a 6 chapter story, with each chapter being modeled after a song.   
> So, basically: Irondad alllll the way!!! 
> 
> (FYI: This fits in with my first story of the series “We Are What They Grow Beyond,” though you don’t need to read it first to get this story! Also, this chapter takes place before the first chapter of “We Are What They Grow Beyond” in case anyone was wondering)
> 
> There will be some sad chapters (this one was a little sad, sorry!), and others will be light and fluffy so you get a good mixture of everything. As much as I love my angst, I love my fluff!
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed this short little chapter. Hopefully I can make the next chapter longer. Take care everyone!
> 
> 𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐬𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐤:
> 
> 𝘚𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦  
> 𝘙𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴  
> 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘴𝘬𝘺...


End file.
